Protect Them Both
by SweetCharades
Summary: One part Liason piece revolving around 051105 General Hospital episodes. Some spoilers. Jason Morgan, Elizabeth Webber


He was still a little unsure of how he got here, but here he was, standing just outside of the elevator on the fifth floor of General Hospital staring across the room to the nurse's desk where she stood with her head bent, hand writing furiously at a folder in front of her.

He left Sonny's, he had gotten on his bike, he was going to head home, going back to the Penthouse, back to Sam and yet, here he was.

She hadn't noticed, she ignored the familiar ding of the elevator as it announced his arrival a few minutes ago, she didn't look up as other nurses continued to place things beside her, just nodded and kept on working. He could still turn around and simply walk away, go to where he originally intended but he couldn't, not without saying something.

They had walked away from each other too many times without the right words being said, he wasn't going to let that happen again.

So he took a step forward, then another, then another and her head raised as the sound of motorcycle boots reached her ears. A twinkle appeared in her eyes and a smile on her face before she fully looked at him and then it disappeared, then it sunk in.

It was after midnight and he wouldn't be here unless something had happened.

She dropped her pen and made her way towards him, reaching out to touch him on his arms.

"Jason, what's wrong? Is it Michael? Is he okay? Are you okay?"

At moments like this, the sight of her still took his breath away. She was likely in the middle of a double shift, her hair was falling out of its ponytail and her scrubs were wrinkled. She looked completely exhausted and she was standing in front of him wondering wanting to know if he was okay, if the people he loved were okay.

It was one of those times when he left himself drift back, left himself wonder what might have happened if she never walked out that door that night, if he never let her.

But things were the way they were, like he told Sonny tonight, you couldn't change them.

Yet he was still here, standing in front of her, wanting her to know what had to be done.

"Can you…" he looked around, searching for anyone that would recognize him. He didn't want this late night visit to make it back to the woman who was waiting for him at the penthouse.

The woman he claimed to love.

"Can you take a break?" Jason finished finally as he licked his lips, "You look really busy and I wouldn't…I wouldn't ask this if it…"

"I'm going to let someone know I'm taking my break," she said, "Then we can talk in one of the empty rooms. There's no place else around…"

"Thank you," Jason said nodding, "Thank you."

Then she was gone from his side, quickly closing the file she was working on and sliding it into a metal bin with all the other ones. She gave an explanation of her break and a soft smile when the other nurse nodded in agreement.

He missed that smile, missed waking up to it every morning in his penthouse, missed seeing her empty Chocolate Rules mug sitting next to his empty black mug in the sink. He missed her paintings, her laughter, the way she teased him, the way she flirted, hell he even missed the way the tears gathered up in her eyes when she talked about how she felt about him.

His missed the woman that was Elizabeth Webber and part of him wished he knew how to get her back.

They were trying to be friends; they were tip toeing around that fact with his visits with Cameron, the bouquet tossing at Emily's wedding, her comforting shoulder when Sam lost her baby. Tentative steps to rebuilding a connection that was stretched to the limit but not yet broken.

He just didn't know how to be just friends with Elizabeth.

She was Emily's best friend when he had stopped her from making a mistake one summer night at Jake's. She was a sweet girl that sat down next to him at the park and let him talk about Michael. She was a wounded woman when she cried the night of her eighteenth birthday and she was the person he fell in love with when he woke up with wisps of curls dangling in his face and her voice screaming at him to move.

He was bleeding in the snow, she saved his life and he fell in love that cold winter morning.

The only thing he regretted was never telling her.

She was tugging on the sleeve of his coat, motioning with her finger what way they were going and to follow her. He did, like the day he stumbled out of the box car holding his side; he let her lead him to the safety of her studio where he fell more and more under the spell of her.

He'd been in love before and after Elizabeth Webber. The first love of Robin Scorpio, the twisted love of Carly Corinthos, the forbidden love of Courtney Matthews and the sympathetic love of Sam McCall but none of it could compare to the innocent, passionate love for Elizabeth Webber.

He was with those other women because he simply loved them, simply wanted to be with them all the time. He pushed Elizabeth away because he didn't want his life to destroy her. He knew that he could never change and she wouldn't make him but he heard about what happened with Lily; saw the chaos of Brenda Barrett. Jason refused to let any of that happen to the woman who was pushing the door open in front of him and then allowing him to enter first.

Protecting her was always his first instinct, it still was now and that was why he was here. She needed to know what was about to happen and it was going to come from him and no one else.

Then he laughed, laughed because he even questioned for a moment why he would be on his way to see her, why he would feel the need to come to Elizabeth before having Sonny go to Sam.

This woman who was looking at him curiously while she closed the door was the reason he remained in Port Charles, the reason he felt so free and let no one else on the back of his motorcycle. This woman was his existence and she understood him better than he understood himself.

Carly use to do that, use to remind him that she did, Sam even tried with enjoying imported beer and accepting that he was a murderer but they didn't get it, really get it. They would never understand the cliff roads, never understand the meaning of Italian red glass, they would never understand what it felt like every time the wind whispered past his ears.

But Elizabeth did, she always would, and he loved her for it.

"Can I be a little scared here?" she asked quietly as she stepped towards him, "Because you are scaring me."

He just showed up in front of her, needing her and without a second thought she took her break that wasn't really for another two hours and led him into this private room where they could talk. She didn't know what he had to say or if he was even going to be able to get the words out but she was here to listen nonetheless, Jason was her friend and she would be here for him.

Jason was so much more than that but that line was something that could never be crossed again.

"I don't mean to scare you," he said as he reached out and touched the side of her hair but he pulled back quickly as if he was burned.

He was here to talk to her, not let things get out of control. She did that too, always made him question his self control. There wasn't a moment when he was around her when he didn't want to touch her. That even included the night when Ric was shot and she told him it should have been him. He knew that she didn't mean it and he wanted to wrap his arms around her and make her pain go away.

But he didn't and maybe that's why they were both here, on opposite ends of the field, so far away, and yet so close.

"I know what you told Ric," he said as he licked his lips again. He smiled when she started to open her mouth and knew she was probably going to tell him that she had to tell the truth, but he wanted to continue on, wanted to get this out, "I'm not asking you to take it back, Elizabeth."

He loved saying her name almost as much as she loved hearing it.

"I just want you to know that Carly didn't kill A.J."

There it sat between him and he wasn't sure if he was going to have to fight with her to convince her, like he did with Sam, that Carly was not the one who did it.

She stared at him, blue on blue and let out a slow breath, rubbing her hands up and down her arms and walking around him, away from him, putting more space between them.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly as she turned to face him, "I wish…Jason I wish you would've told me before I spoke to Ric. I wouldn't have said anything."

Jason scratched the back of his head and then ran his hand along his face, "What?"

"About Carly, I wish you would've told me," she said, "I know you were busy, you were injured and I know that I was the last person on your mind."

She wasn't the first, but she definitely wasn't the last, that night Elizabeth was up there right behind Michael, Sonny and Carly. Way ahead of Sam.

"But had I known that Carly had nothing to do with this…" she stopped and twisted her fingers together before turning away from him again, "Jason, I put myself in Carly's shoes. I imagined what it would be like to have my son kidnapped, brainwashed to think that I didn't love him anymore, tortured by the thought that I wanted nothing to do with him, taken away from me, held hostage, physically, mentally scarred." She looked back at him with those beautiful, painful tears in her eyes, "Jason, if I were Carly, I think I might have killed the person that did that to my child, consequences be damned. That's why it just fit…"

He smiled and pressed his hand against her cheek before pulling back and wiping away her tears with the pad of his thumb. He had no doubt that Elizabeth Webber would go toe to toe with the man who would cause any harm to her child, but he knew, just like he did with Carly, that she would never jeopardize her future with her children.

"And like Carly," he said quietly, "The pillow might have been in your hand Elizabeth but you couldn't have gone through with it. You would've thought about Cameron watching his mother go to jail, being ripped away from you once again. You would've thought about the consequences Elizabeth, just like Carly did when she picked up that pillow."

She smiled softly at him, gratefully, "You always know…"

He nodded, "So do you."

Always knowing what they needed, what they were thinking before either had to voice it.

It was the most scary, wonderful feeling in the entire world.

"I'm here because I have to tell you something," he said softly as he held his hand out to her. He wanted to take it himself, take both of her hands in his and squeeze them gently with reassurance but it wasn't his decision to make that step, it was hers and she only did what he was thinking.

She took his hands and she squeezed.

"We might have to sit down for this," he whispered, "I really don't know how to…"

He shouldn't be here, he shouldn't be telling her this and if Sonny ever found out what was about to happen in this room he might have taken a gun to Jason's head for simply thinking of it but it was something that had to be done.

They didn't trust her with Sonny's 'death' so Jason was going to try to make up for it; he was going to trust her with this.

Elizabeth smiled softly as she led him over to the hospital bed and sat down, the bed dipping slightly when Jason sat across from her, hands still holding onto one another.

"I'm not going to tell you that this has to stay between us," he said, "I know that you understand and I know that you won't repeat this to anyone."

She nodded and instead of just squeezing his hand she entwined her fingers with his. He enjoyed it and started to run the pad of his thumb over hers.

"I know who killed A.J." he said.

Her breathing stop, he heard it, along with the slight gasp, but she still kept her fingers locked with his, gripping his hand just a little tighter.

"It wasn't me."

"I knew it wasn't you," Elizabeth said fiercely, with more determination than he had ever heard in her voice, "I know that you say you would do anything for Michael, I know you would say that to Carly and Sonny and yourself but you would not, could not hurt Emily, you couldn't hurt Monica, your mother like that."

Jason felt a small smile tug at his lips, "Everyone around me, everyone is just…they're all trying to protect Michael. They know he's hurt and they know that he's traumatized and they've got this little cluster of people around him just making sure no one gets through; Monica too."

He sighed as he shook his head and looked away from her, "And you, you care about Michael because of me but you, you just keep on wanting to protect me." He looked back at her, his eyes glassy. "More so from myself than anyone else. And you're right; I don't think…I couldn't have…"

He squeezed her hand tightly, his thumb stopped moving along hers and she watched his eyes shut.

"He was still my damn brother," he gritted out, "He was a bastard and he did so many things to so many people but I'm not sure if what he did to me was as painful as everyone seems to think."

"Jason…" Elizabeth said when he released her hand and moved away from the bed, starting to pace in front of her, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"He hit a tree, he had too much to drink and he hit a tree. Point of not return," he said with a somewhat bitter laugh, "And they crucified him for it, they made sure that he suffered and they put me on this pedal stool; The Golden Boy. I never wanted that, you know?"

"I do," she said, shifting herself to face him.

"But if he didn't…if we didn't hit that tree, Elizabeth," he said motioning to the door, "I would be on the other side of that right now, rushing to save people's lives, I would be married with a bunch of kids to Keesha Ward. I'd be winning medical awards and partying with people I can't even stand to be in a room with anymore. I would've never met Sonny or Carly, I would've never loved Michael as if he were my own son."

She saw a tear slip from his eye, down his cheek and onto the worn in leather coat.

"I would've never met you."

In that moment, Elizabeth didn't need words; she knew that he didn't either. It was there in the room, surrounding the, comforting them, embracing them; the love they had for one another.

"I hate what he did to Michael, I hate how he hurt people, I wanted to kill him for that," Jason said as he walked towards the bed again, "But this is my life and I do what I do because I'm good at it. A.J., that bastard gave me that," he sighed and slipped his large hand around her neck, leaning down and then pushing her forehead against his own, "He gave me you."

She sighed softly, her warm breath mingling with his.

"You would've been nothing more than Emily's friend," he whispered as his hand came around the side of her face, his fingers brushing against her cheek, "And I won't ever imagine what it would be like to live my life without you in it."

Elizabeth couldn't help it; she licked her lips, felt tears on her own cheeks and felt the emotion build inside her heart. Too many mistakes, too many damn missteps, she wasn't wasting this moment. Her hand slid around the back of his neck, tugging him closer and leaning up until his lips met her own.

A sweet simple kiss that meant so much.

"I didn't want to leave you," she whispered before pressing another kiss to the corner of his lips, "But I wanted you to fight as hard as I was Jason."

"It was much easier to turn to a woman I didn't love as much as you, Elizabeth," he whispered as his fingers played with her ponytail, "It was much easier to watch you get on with your life than to imagine you trapped in mine and never getting the chance to be free again."

"I'm only free with you."

And her lips met his again, this time pressing hard against his mouth, wanting more, demanding something in return. His arms fell around her, pulling her closer, his fingers curling in the rose colored scrubs that she wore.

To him this was a little piece of heaven before he was condemned to hell.

"This," he whispered pulling back before kissing her again, "This wasn't what I came for."

"I know," she said with a smile and a small blush before pulling his arm and motioning for him to rejoin her on the bed, "I'm listening. You wanted to tell me," she tucked a loose bang behind her ear, "Who murdered A.J."

"It was Michael."

Elizabeth would've expected him to say Sonny or maybe one of the guards like Max but she would've never expected Michael's name to come tumbling from his lips. The little boy so devastated, so traumatized, killed a man in a state of shock.

He would never be convicted of it but he would carry it for the rest of his life.

When her eyes met his she read the guilt and knew that both he and Sonny were blaming themselves for what happened. They themselves didn't hold the pillow but they might as well have handed it to the little boy.

"Jason, please, I know that…"

"You can't," he said with a tight smile, "I know you want to try but you can't. I chose this life, Elizabeth. I wanted you out before I pushed you to the point where you would have to make the kind of decision Michael made. You would've eventually been put into a situation where it would've been my life over someone else's and there would be no choice there. Michael did what he did to protect his brother and sister, he learned that from me."

"He learned that from A.J.," Elizabeth insisted, "A.J. was the one who told that boy what his father did for a living all those years ago. A.J. was the one who brainwashed that child into thinking that Sonny didn't want him. Jason, you couldn't have prevented this, you…"

"I could've watched him better," Jason said, "Instead of being wrapped up in…"

Elizabeth opened her mouth but then closed it quickly. Now was not the time to talk to Jason about his choices in women, especially when Sam had recently lost a child not that long ago. She felt her pain but Elizabeth didn't want the woman in Jason's bed at night.

"I know," he sighed, "And I know that your telling me not to blame myself but…I swore to him that I would always protect him. I don't like breaking my promises."

"I know," she whispered as she placed her palm against his heart, feeling the erratic beat. She looked up into his eyes, saw the tears and it made her heart break. He would forever blame himself for not being there, for not finding Michael faster, for not being able to kill A.J. himself.

She also saw the resolution, why Jason was here and what was about to be done.

Elizabeth leaned over and kissed him softly, her nails gently scrapping down his cheek before she moved away from the bed, towards the door. She turned back when her hand was on the silver handle and shook her head, "Stay."

Then she pressed her finger against the lock and turned back towards him, leaning against the heavy door.

"I know what you're going to do," she whispered as she moved towards him, "I'm not going to talk you out of it because it's who you are Jason, it's what you do; protect the people you love. It's why we…" she smiled as she slid back onto the bed and took his hand, "Just before you go, leave me with one thing."

"What?" he whispered as he watched her hands push the leather jacket off his shoulders.

"A little piece of you," she whispered, linking her hands around his neck, pulling him closer.

"Elizabeth," he whispered as he leaned in, pushing her back onto the bed, sliding his body over hers, "You'll always have a piece of me, my heart."

* * *

He walked into the police station, exhausted, mentally, physically, not even remembering the last time he felt this drained.

He knew that he was about to face the rest of life behind bars, realized that he would never again see the light of day as a free man, never feel the wind against his face, never feel her arms around him.

But his freedom was worth saving Michael.

He walked up to the police desk and placed his hands down on it, "Hey, I need to talk to Mac Scorpio. I got information about A.J. Quartermaine's murder."

"Take a number. He's got someone in there with him." the officer said and motioned towards the holding cell.

He stepped aside and moved towards it, then took a quick step back when the door was opened and Jason was ushered out in handcuffs.

Sonny's eyes met his, his heart constricted as he realized what this man had given up for his son. Jason would never regret it, it was something he did for Michael, just like Sonny would have done but to Sonny this meant so much more.

Sonny had the chance to get married, to have a family, to raise his children. Jason hadn't had a chance to do any of that and he walked away from the one person he truly loved because of the business Sonny had gotten him involved in.

Now he was signing away his life to protect Sonny's, no their, little boy.

It brought tears to the harden mobster's eyes.

Before he realized it Jason was standing in front of him, officers flanking him on either side, his blue eyes searching Sonny's, pleading.

"I need something."

"What?" Sonny asked, "Anything."

"Protect them both."

Then Jason was pulled away and Sonny stared after them. Protect them both? Carly and Michael? Or was he referring to Sam? Was she finally pregnant with Jason's child?

He wasn't sure what Jason was talking about until Sonny turned back around and saw her standing there, still in the scrubs from the hospital, Jason's leather coat draped around her shoulders and making her look much smaller than she actually was.

He walked towards her and slipped an arm around her shoulder as she leaned into him and cried silently. He kissed her hair and felt a few tears fall from his own eyes.

Elizabeth Webber and Cameron Lansing had somehow become Jason's family and tonight Sonny made them a part of his own.


End file.
